Dissolving apparatus



Jan. 19, 1943. -H.IW.LEHMKUHL 2,308,612

DI/SSOLVING APPARATUS Filed July 23, 1941 7 I I v v INVENTOR. JEnr yY JZZEM Z 4m ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 19, 1943 FHCE DISSOLVING APPARATUS Henry W. Lehmkuhl, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Milk Plant Specialties Corporation, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 23, 1941, Serial No. 403,771

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for feeding a solution of soap, washing powder, detergent material, or other suitable cleansing material, to a washing machine or other place or device where a continued supply of such solution is desired.

In my United States Patent 2,006,085, granted June 25, 1935, there is shown such a device, adapted primarily for forming a solution from briquettes or hard lumps of material. An object of the present invention is to provide a somewhat similar device adapted to form solutions from material in powdered or flaky form, rather than in the form of briquettes or hard lumps.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device which can be constructed and installed cheaply, which can be adjusted easily, and which can be refilled and operated easily and economically.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, diagrammatically illustrating an accompanying washing machine in vertical section,and

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken centrally through the preferred form of feeding device shown in Fig. 1.

The same reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

There is shown at H a suitable receptacl for holding washing water up to a level indicated at l2, and having an overflow l3 leading to waste. Steam may be admitted through an inlet It to heat the washing water to any desired temperature. The washing water bath within the receptacle II may be employed for washing any desired articles in any suitable or known manner, by hand or by mechanical means. For instance, the water may be sprayed into and upon the articles to be washed, as for example by spray nozzles I5 and I6 supplied with the wash Water under pressure by any suitable means such as the pump II. There is shown diagrammatically, merely as a convenient example of an article to be washed, a milk can l8 held in inverted position by any suitable holding means such as the trolley hanger l9 running on a track 20. The details of the washing receptacle and of the way in which the wash water is used may be varied in any desired manner, since such details constitute no part of the present invention.

The feeder of the present invention comprises, in its preferred form, an outer container 2 I, preferably of circular cylindrical form with its axis arranged vertically, having an open top, and bottom 23 provided with an outlet opening from which a pipe or conduit 25 leads to the washing water receptacle H to discharge thereinto.

Removably placed within the outer container 21 is an open top inner container 3!, preferably also of circular cylindrical form, with its axis arranged vertically, and of somewhat smaller diameter than the outer container. Feet or lugs 33 fastened to the bottom of the inner container 3| rest upon the bottom 23 of the outer container to space the bottoms of the two containers from each other, and radial lugs 35 fixed to the side wall of the inner container near the top edge thereof serve to space the side walls of the two containers substantially uniformly from each other, as shown.

The bottom of the inner container 3i has a relatively large hole at its center, and rising from the edges of this hole is a screen member 4! of approximately conical or frusto-conical shape, made of stiff wire mesh or of perforated. sheet metal or other foraminous material so as to have a multiplicity of openings there-- through around all sides and throughout its whole height, as indicated in Fig. 2. The side and bottom walls of the container 3| are preferably imperforate, thoughthere is no objection to a few small holes in them if desired, so long as the main flow or drainage is inwardly through the openings in the member li.

Secured to and projecting outwardly from one side of the outer container M is a pair of brackets 35 having vertical holes through which a small pipe or conduit 41 is vertically movable. Thumb screws 49 may be tightened to hold the pipe ll in any position of vertical adjustment. The lower end of this pipe 41 is connected by a short section of flexible hose 5! to a water supply conduit 53, the flow being controlled by any suitable valve 55. The upper end of the conduit 47 has a lateral branch 59 leading to a spray nozzle or spray head iii of any conventional or known kind, capable of producing a fine spray of conical form as indicated diagrammatically at 63. The length of the lateral conduit 59 is such that the spray head BI is located centrally over the containers 2! and 3H.

In use, the inner container M is filled or nearly filled with the powdered or flaky material i. i Us.

which is to be used in making the solution for washing purposes. To aid in filling, or in cleaning the inner container between fillings, it may be lifted out of the outer container. After filling and replacement of the inner container, the spray head BI is adjusted to a suitable position over the container, and the water is turned on by opening the valve 55. The water from the spray head falls onto the top of the powdered or flaky material, and forms a solution which flows approximately radially inwardly over the top of the body of such material, passes through the openings in the conical member 4|, flows down through the hollow space within this member 4|, and thence down through the conduit 25 to the washing water receptacle ll.

It is found that the construction described gives excellent and superior results. The imperlorate or substantially imperforate outer wall of the inner container 3| serves to confine all of the sprayed water that enters the open mouth or top of this container, and forces such water to flow over the top of the body of powdered or flaky material, inwardly toward the foraminous partition 4|. The inclination of the foraminous partition, due to its conical shape, causes a considerable part of the solution passing through this partition to drop straight downwardly, instead of flowing down the surface of the foraminous wall. The great reduction in the flow down the surface of the wall, compared with what it would be if the wall were vertical, reduces the tendency of the flowing solution to build up crystals in the openings past which it flows, and thus reduces the tendency to clog the openings at elevations below the top of the mass of powdered or flaky material.

The described construction also permits a simple and quick adjustment of strength of the solution. If a solution of maximum strength is desired, the thumb screws are loosened and the spray head BI is lowered to a position such as shown in dotted lines at 6|a, so that the conical spray 63a. is received entirely within the inner container 3|. Thus all of the water issuing from the spray nozzle will come into contact with the powdered or flaky material and will form a solution therewith. If a solution of minimum strength is desired, the thumb screws 49 are loosened and the spray nozzle is raised to the position shown in full lines, where a considerable part of the sprayed water falls outside of the inner container 3| and passes downwardly through the annular space between the inner container 3| and the outer container 2|, without coming into contact with the powdered or flaky material. This part of the water flows over the bottom 33 of the outer container to the central outlet conduit 25 and there mixes with that part of the sprayed water which fell into the top of the inner container 3| and formed the solution. By adjusting the elevation of the spray nozzle 6| to various intermediate positions between the upper and lower limits described, solutions of varying strength between maximum and minimum may be produced.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive idea may be carried out in a number of ways. This application is therefore not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to cover all variations and modifications thereof falling within the scope of the appended claims.

- outer containers, and means for afiecting relative adjustment of said inner container and said spray device toward and from each other to vary the proportion of spray water falling into said inner container relative to the proportion thereof falling into the space between said side walls.

2. A dissolving apparatus comprising an outer container having an outlet opening adjacent its bottom, an inner container having substantially imperforate side walls spaced inwardly from the side walls of the outer container and having an outlet opening adjacent its bottom, said inner container being adapted to hold solid material to be dissolved, a foraminous partition associated with said outlet opening of said inner container to prevent substantial discharge of said solid material therethrough, and a spray device located and. arranged for spraying water into said inner container to flow over and dissolve said solid material and to form a solution passing out through said outlet opening, said outer container having its walls extending above the walls of said inner container and said inner container and spray device being relatively adjustable toward and from each other to vary the relative proportions of water sprayed into said inner container and water sprayed into the space between the side walls of said inner and outer containers, to vary the strength of the solution produced.

3. A dissolving apparatus comprising an outer container having an outlet opening for discharge of the dissolving material, an inner container having substantially imperforate side walls spaced inwardly from the side walls of the outer container and having an outlet opening in' its bottom, a foraminous wall encircling said opening in said inner container and rising to a substantial height therefrom, opposite sides of said foraminous wall converging toward each other in an upward direction, the space in said inner container between said side walls and said foraminous wall being adapted to hold solid material to be dissolved, and a spray device located and arranged for spraying water into said inner container to fiow over and dissolve said solid material and to pass through said foraminous wall and through said outlet openings, said spray device being mounted for upward and downward adjustment to difierent elevations to vary the relative proportions of watersprayed into said inner container to form the initial solution and water sprayed into the space between the side walls of the inner and outer containers to flow downwardly therein out of contact with said solid material and to mix with said initial solution to dilute the same.

4. A construction as described in claim 3, in which said inner and outer containers are of substantially circular cylindrical form, said foraminous wall is of substantially conical form, and said spray device is supported by and supplied with water through a conduit adjustably clampedon said outer container.

HENRY W. LEHMKUHL. 

